Trolley-wire finder.



110.780,62). BATENTED JAN.24,R1905.

v Jglnlmn.

TROLLEY WIRE FINDER. PPLIUATION FILED s211117, 1904;

No. r780,620.

UNITED STATES Patented January 24, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH r. REED, .or MUNCIE, INDIANA, 'AssIeNoR oF ONE-HALE To IsALATHIEL n. BABoocK, or MUNcIE, INDIANA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 780,620, dated January24, 1905.

I Application filed September 17, 1904. Serial No. 224,882.

y following is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention, relates to new and useful improvements in thelconstruction of Aconducting trolley-wire finders for electric cars, bymeans of which trolley finders are expeditiously guided into position tocontact with the overhead trolley-wire in such cases as when the trolleyjumps out of contact with said wire.

The object of this invention is to construct a conductor-wire finder ofa bifurcated form that will be cheaply manufactured and easily of thetrolley-linder are capable of being` moved into nearly the verticalposition, so that the free outwardly-flared ends of said arms orbifurcations will be readily caused to engage the-conducting-wire todirect the trolley into position to contact said wire. I attain theseobjects by vmeans of the trolley-wire finder illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which similar numerals of reference designatelike parts throughout the several views.

Figure l is a side elevational view of the forked end of a trolley-pole,showing the trolley end thereof contacting with the conducting-wire andthe arms of the trolley-finder in their normal vor approximatelyhorizontal position.` Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, showing thespring in dotted lines, so that the trolley-finder, which is situated inthe plane beneath the spring, may be shown in full lines; Fig. 3 is aView of the trolley similar to Fig. 1, but showing the trolley-underarms extending upwardly in position to engage the conducting-wire toguide the trolley to said wire. Fig. 4 is a developed view of thetrolley-finder or fork, which shows the said trolley-finder fork formedin one integral piece and cut from a single sheet of metal.

Fig. 5 is a detail View of the said trolley-finder fork, showing saidpiece as represented in `Fig. 4 bent into form; and Fig. 6 is a detailperspective view of the retaining-spring of the trolley-wire finder.

The trolley-pole is designated by l, and on the top end of the same issecured the trolleycarrying fork 2. On the free end of saidtrolley-carrying fork 2 are formed the bosses 3, which are drilled toreceive the bearing-bolt 4, upon which the trolley-pulley 5 isjournaled.

The trolley-finder is composed of the outer bell-crank arms 7, the innerbell-crank arms 9, connected at their lower ends by the bend 8, and theupwardly-extending pull-down arm 11. which parts are preferablyformed inone integral piece cut from a single sheet of metal in the formillustrated in Fig. 4, in which 7 also denotes the outer projectingtrolley-wirefinder arms; IO, the pivotal bores; 9, the rear bell-crankarms; 8, the central bend connect- -ing portion, and ll theupwardly-extending pull-down arm, which latter is formed to eX- tend atright angles with the upper edges of the bell-crank arms 9. The outerends 12 of the arm 7 are flared outwardly, so as to the more readilyengage the conducting or trolley wire when said arms are moved intovertical position. (See Fig. '5.) The trolleyfinder thus constructed hasits pivotal portion of its arms pivoted on the axle-bolt so that saidarms 7 and 9 are situated between thev hubs 3 of the trolley-fork 2 andthe hubs 6 of the trolley-pulley 5 to be capable of being fullymanipulated without contacting with either said trolley-pulley or thefork of the trolley-pole. The trolley-finder 'is yieldingly maintainedin its normal position, as shown in Fig. l, bythe retaining-springs 13,which latter have their lower ends 14 secured by suitable rivets orscrews yto the trolley-pole fork 2, and the said springs have theiropposite ends provided with the notches 15 to engage the edges of thearms 7, and therebyA prevent the notched ends of said springs becomingdisengaged from said arms. The trolley-rope 16 is secured to the top endof the upwardlyprojecting pull-down arm 1l. The object of constructingthe said pull-down arm l1 as shown and described I will now proceed todescribe. It is clear that were the end of the trolley-rope 16 attacheddirectly to the trolley-finder at the bend 8 thereof then when the saidtrolley-rope 16 would be pulled to cause the ends 12 of the arms 7 toswing upwardly toward a vertical line the amount of swing therebyobtained would be insufficient to elevate the arms 7 sufficiently into avertical position to properly engage the trolley or conducting wire,which condition is due to the position of the operator relatively to theend of the trolley-pole and the angularity of the trolley-rope 16 withthe end of the trolleypole. In order to overcome this defect, I providethe upwardly-extending pull-down arm 11, to the top end 0f which thetrolley-rope 16 is made fast, and thus the connecting-point of the saidtrolley-rope 16 at its top end being so elevated above the bend 8 ofsaid trolley-finder the operator can readily manipulate the rope 16 toswing the trolley-wire-finder arms 7 into approximately verticalposition, as shown in Fig. 3, and thereby cause the said arms 7 toarrive nearer to a perpendicular position relative to theconducting-wire 17 to more readily direct the trolley 5 into position tocontact said conducting-wire 17.

Having thus fully described this my invention, what I claim as new anduseful, and desire to cover by Letters Patent of the United Statestherefor, is-

1. In a trolley for electric cars, the combination with a trolley-polehaving an upper forked end, a journal-bolt passing through said forkedend, a trolley-pulley pivoted on said bolt and situated between thebifurcations of said forked end of said trolley-pole, a bifurcatedtrolley-wire finder having its side arms drilled to be pivoted on saidbolt, a rear bendconnecting the rearwardly-projecting ends of saidtrolleywire finder and an upwardly-projecting arm secured to said rearbend.

2. In a trolley for electric ears, the combination with a trolley-polehaving an upper forked end, a journal-bolt passing through said forkedend, a trolley-pulley pivoted on said bolt and situated between thebifurcations of said forked end of said trolley-pole, a bifurcatedtrolley-finder constructed of a single piece of metal bent to form twoparallel arms or bifurcations, both of which arms are drilled at theircentral portions to pivotally receive said iournal-bolt and to besituated on each side of said trolley and between the bifurcations ofthe forked end of said trolley-pole and an upwardly-extending pull-downarm on the bend of said trolley-finder.

3. In a trolley for electric cars, the combination with a trolley-polehaving an upper forked end, a journal-bolt passing` through said forkedend, a trolle T-pulley pivoted on said bolt and situated between thebifurcations of said forked end of said trolley-pole, a bifurcatedtrolley-finder constructed of a single piece of metal and each piece isdivided to form forward finder-arms and rear bent parallel arms, thevertical angle of the forward arms being at an angle with the rearparallel connected arms or of a bell-crank form, said finder-armsdrilled at their central portions to be pivotally mounted on saidjournal-bolt, an u p wardl y-extend in g pul l-down arm formed integralon the rear connecting-bend of said bell-crank trolley-finder and ayielding spring securedon said trolley-fork and having its free endbearing at or near the top free end of the said forked arms.

1. In a trolley for electric cars, the combination with a trolley-polehavingan upper forked end` a journal-bolt passing through said forkedend, a trolley-pulley pivoted on said bolt and situated between thebifurcations of said forked end of said trolley-pole, a bifurcatedtrolley-finder constructed of a single piece of metal and each piece isdivided to forni forward finder-arms and rear bent parallel arms, thevertical angle of the forward finder-arms being at an angle with therear parallel connecting-arms or of a bell-cran k form, said finder-armsdrilled at their central portions to be pivotally mounted on saidjournal-bolt, an upwardly-extending pull-down arm formed integral on therear connectingbend of said bell-crank trolley-finder and a yieldingspring secured on said trolley-fork and having its free end notched andadapted to engage the trolley-finder arms.

In testimony whereofI aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH I). REED.

Witnesses:

THOMPSON R. BELL, SALATIHEL R. BABoocK.

